"Well, that sounds a little pushy and demanding." It's a one-liner I first heard from my older sister in response to her young kids whenever their urgency sounded more like a complaint than a request. And yes, it's a one-liner I've used pretty often since having my own children. The intent is to encourage communication that comes less from presumptuous entitlement and more from polite inquiry. "I don't have a napkin" coming from my 5-year-old at the dinner table may sound innocent enough in print, but when it comes with a furrowed brow and an impatient whine ("naaaaapkin"), it's not just a benign observation but a subtle accusation that someone hasn't provided sufficient resources for an enjoyable meal. Ok, maybe that's a little over the top, but you get the idea. Pushy and demanding. I recently came across a familiar Bible story that made me wonder if I slip into that kind of talk with God every now and then. Is it possible that we get a little pushy and demanding with Jesus?

WHY DO YOU INVOLVE ME

It was a joyous wedding feast. Food, friends, and family. The perfect recipe for a great celebration. But according to John 2:1-3, there was a seemingly small hiccup in the course of the festivities that could turn into serious embarrassment. Mary, aware of the issue, hurried to find an immediate solution. Approaching the world's Savior as her son, she spoke in the declarative and rather than the interrogative, "They have no more wine." Not just a description of what's new but an implied prescription of what Jesus should do. It may not seem like it in print, but I think Jesus sensed a pushy and demanding dynamic in Mary's tone and approach. How does Jesus respond to this pushy demands?

Addressing His mother with a common term of endearment in that culture, Jesus doesn't snap at Mary but slows her down long enough to cause her to reflect. Why are you involving Me? Consider for a moment your motivations here. Jesus was not unwilling to get involved in the situation (evidenced by His eventual intervention), but He was not about to get involved from whatever motivation Mary had in mind to begin with.

We get into situations that are urgent and desperate too. And in those times we come to Jesus with less questions and more demands. We're right to want to get Him involved in our struggles. But WHY do we want to get Him involved? If we were honest, I think we usually involve God so we can have success and avoid failure, so we can experience blessing rather than barrenness, pleasure rather than pain. Those aren't terrible desires...but they are kind of self-centered when you think about it. Is there an alternative that's more about Jesus than it is about myself? I think there is.

Rather than involving Jesus so we can have success, we can involve Him because we’re fully surrendered to Him.

WHATEVER HE TELLS YOU

There are few details provided in John 2:4-5, but I imagine there's a whirlwind of communication in look and tone between Jesus and Mary that even in the haste of the moment, Mary experiences something profound. Her next words, though seemingly still demanding to the nearby servants are actually full of surrender to her Son.

His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.” (John 2:5, NIV)

This is the point where selfish ambition turns into surrender and submission.

Right now, our church is in the midst of considering next steps regarding larger worship space and where we can most effectively fulfill the mission God has entrusted to us. Reading this story with that kind of discussion going on, I've concluded that to invite Jesus into this question/situation before our church is not to tell Him what we want Him to bless or tell Him what He should do. Instead, God is inviting us to be attentive & submissive to what He’s telling us to do.

What questions have we been pushing to God in prayer? What situations have we been demanding God's involvement in? We're right to seek His intervention, but let's seek His action and providence because we're surrendered to Him, not just because we want success. Let's put in check our tendency to give God instructions. And instead let's give Him permission to lay our selfish ambition to the dust, to make us fully attentive to what He's instructing us to do. God forgive us for praying with the presumption that You'll do whatever we say. Instead, teach us to pray for the ability and humility to do whatever YOU say.